Saper Galleries is a world-renowned award-winning bricks-and-mortar art gallery located in downtown East Lansing, Michigan. For 31 years (23 in its landmark gallery building) Saper Galleries has been a leader in providing friendly, honest, reliable, professional, and quality service to thousands of art collectors from throughout the world.  Click here to see what our clients say about us!    In 1998 a 2,000 square foot west gallery was added to the building featuring a 48-foot long barrel-vault skylight which bathes the spacious gallery with natural, filtered light.  The addition was highlighted in the June, 2000 issue of Art World News.  In early 2001 a 32-foot skylight was installed over the center gallery.   Click here to see photographs of the award-winning gallery building!  Saper Galleries serves art collectors from around the world.  In the past few months we had visitors to this web site from 96 countries (and speaking 28 different languages).  Beyond the United States the greatest number of visits to this web site came from the following countries: United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Russia, Brazil, France, Japan, Israel, Spain, Australia, Mexico, Turkey, Bulgaria, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, India, Romania, China, Argentina, South Korea, Malaysia, Ireland, Singapore, Iran, Columbia, Greece, Austria, and 70 others.  Yes, we do ship or deliver directly anywhere in the world.

Owns its Own Always-Changing Inventory 
Saper Galleries owns and inventories more than 1,500 original works of art by 150 artists which can be viewed at and acquired from the museum-like gallery.  We select what we see as the best artists in the world be they from Mid-Michigan or anywhere else in the world.  Of the approximately 1,000 artists a year who present their art to us for our consideration we end up selecting less than half of one percent -- about 4 artists a year.  To have art displayed at Saper Galleries the artists have to be outstanding.  That does not mean expensive, not does it mean the artists are household names or even popular in the art world.  It means we evaluate them independent of what others say about them without regard to prior reviews or exhibitions, their age, education, or any other consideration.  The only aspect that truly matters for us is our own evaluation of their artwork.  Saper Galleries proudly introduces to our gallery visitors many artists who you've likely not seen anywhere before.  And if we like them, there is a good likelihood that you will enjoy them as well!   If you are seeking a particular artwork and we do not have it in inventory, then we will get it for you. Our free art search services will work to get exactly what you're looking for, no matter when or where you saw it! Click here to see a listing of the Saper Galleries current inventory.

Art of Every Medium and Style and Price Range
The single criterion that applies to all the art shown at Saper Galleries is quality.  Saper Galleries has a broad vision in terms of art it shows.  It recognizes that art, like music, reflects the varied tastes of individuals. We respect the interests of all collectors and show a range of imagery from traditional and impressionist styles to contemporary and nonrepresentational imagery.  All media is represented in the Saper Galleries inventory -- paintings, drawings, limited edition prints, sculpture, hand-blown glass, raku, bas-reliefs, Polages, kinetic light sculptures, mobiles, marble vases, and holographs.  If it's art, we at Saper Galleries can get it for you.

World-Class Exhibitions Unique to Saper Galleries
Roy Saper, Peter Yarrow and Peter Max at Saper Galleries
Since opening the present gallery building in 1986, Saper Galleries has created over 30 major exhibitions. Norman Rockwell; Three Generations of the Pissarro Family; Meeting of the Masters: Rembrandt and Picasso; From Pop to Patriotism: Peter Max Comes to East Lansing are some of the exhibitions which generated noteworthy acclaim for the uniqueness of the exhibitions, their scholarly descriptive material, and breadth of imagery exhibited. Saper Galleries exhibitions focus on quality and a rare sense of excellence that provides the viewer much more than simply art on the wall. We dedicate ourselves to meeting the charge of sharing information that allows the viewer to better understand the artist, what the artist created, and why. Click here for a listing of our special exhibitions!

Dedicated to Service and Excellence
Saper Galleries focuses on providing a high level of personalized service dedicated to ensuring collectors an art acquisition experience that is fun, educational, informative, and friendly.  We treat people with courtesy, kindness, and respect -- with the ultimate objective of satisfying their art requirements in a way that exceeds their expectations always.  Collectors of art from Saper Galleries have received courtesy invitations to artist studios, private dinners and visits with artists from their collections, signed and dedicated books from artists they collect, and other special -- and unexpected courtesies specially arranged for their benefit.  Saper Galleries provides art acquisition and installation services no matter where you live on the planet.            

First Choice for Business Art Acquisition Assistance
Michigan State University's Federal Credit Union Board Room
Professional offices, corporations, and associations also receive a high degree of personalized assistance with selecting works of art appropriate for the image, design, and budget requirements of the project.  Designers often use Saper Galleries as the art division of their business, leaving the selection, acquisition, framing and installation to the Gallery professionals for the benefit of their clients. Hospitals, attorney offices, medical facilities, financial institutions, associations, universities, hotels, and governmental offices (among others) have awarded their art contracts to Saper Galleries due to their competent professionalism, knowledge, full-service attention to detail -- and staying under budget to complete all projects before they are due for completion. Please contact us now to have us share with you how we can help update the art on your walls.

Matting and Framing by Art Graduate Professionals

Restoration of Paintings and Works of Art on Paper

Paintings needing restoration (due to tears, holes, water and smoke damage, or accumulation of grime) can be cleaned through a partnership Saper Galleries has with professional conservators with specialties in paper and also canvas treatments.  As this example illustrates, works of art on paper can also be treated to remove stains due to foxing, light, mat burn, water damage, adhesives, and mold.  Paper tears can be repaired so the problem becomes virtually undetectable.  Call on Saper Galleries to learn how your work of art can be expertly brought back to its original condition, and preserved for future generations.

Awards For Excellence

Herman Miller Classic-Design Furniture

If it's good enough for the Art Institute of Chicago, New York's Museum of Modern Art, and the Smithsonian, it's good enough for Saper Galleries. The classic furniture as designed by Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, and Isamu Noguchi as manufactured by Herman Miller have, until recently, been available for acquisition from Saper Galleries. At this time the Gallery still has available from inventory the soft-pad Eames Chaise Lounge. Click here to see the Eames Chaise Lounge now on display at Saper Galleries.

Public Art a Specialty                                        Girl with Doves bronze sculpture at Michigan State University's Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
Art in public places requires a sensitivity to community and aesthetic considerations while satisfying budgetary requirements. Saper Galleries has qualified experience in creating and placing major sculptures in public spaces. We have taken the burden off many art selection panels by providing for the design, commissioning, scheduling, and installation of significant out-door bronzes. For businesses, governments, and colleges and universities, Saper Galleries can be relied upon to deliver what the community and sponsors want, on time, and within budget. We guarantee satisfaction and accept nothing less.

The Tunis Ponsen Estate Paintings

Saper Galleries is proud to have earned the honor and distinction of managing the estate paintings of the Dutch born painter Tunis Ponsen. On site and available for your viewing and acquisition are more than 300 works of art created between 1930 and 1967. They include oil paintings on canvas, watercolors, and an extremely limited number of single-color lithographs and linoleum block prints. Please click here for additional information and pictures of available paintings by Tunis Ponsen. 

Free Art Search Services
Saper Galleries will search the world to locate and acquire for you any work of art you are looking for: paintings, limited edition prints, or reproductions. We are often called upon to locate art that people saw years ago.  Collectors contact us to acquire for them a copy of a limited edition they saw in a professional building or friend's home.  We are often asked to locate works of art that collectors saw while traveling.  No matter what it is, if it is for sale, we will locate and acquire it for you.  Please provide us with as much information as you are able: artist name, title, medium (for example: original painting, limited edition, or reproduction), where and when you saw the art, price -- and any other information to ensure we find the correct work of art.  And best of all, the Saper Galleries Art Acquisition Search Services are FREE!  Try it now!

Read All About Us!
Click here to read articles about Saper Galleries from Art World News; The State News from East Lansing's Michigan State University; the Krasl Art Center in St. Joseph, Michigan, Lansing CityPulse, PMA Magazine, Lansing State Journal, midmichigander.com, and many others.

Since we built and moved into our downtown East Lansing, Michigan location in 1986 we have attempted to do all we can to play a role in protecting our environment and using resources wisely and efficiently.  Before the City started its recycling program Saper Galleries recycled 100% of its cardboard (from daily art and framing shipments received) through local scrap recyclers.  We now minimize the use of paper by processing all Internet orders electronically including invoicing, appraisals, and other such documents.  All paper we receive is recycled.   We have not been as successful in finding a way to recycle glass scraps from our framing department and, as with the rest of the framing industry, we continue to try to find a market for that material.  Our mat and foam board scraps are donated to schools and daycares so there is no waste going to landfills.  Old frames we remove from art that customers have us reframe get donated to others.  We donated more than 1,000 very strong shipping tubes (many extremely large) to East Lansing High School where they were used by art, physics and other teachers for projects with their students.   In addition to cardboard recycling, we also recycle or reuse 100 percent of the styrofoam, Kraft paper, bubble-wrap and other packaging material we receive about daily.  Although we attempt to use technology where ever possible, the minimal amount of office paper that arrives is used on both sides to reduce waste.  Our weekly trash output is much less than that of an average family residence.

Beyond recycling and reusing consumable resources, the Saper Galleries building relies mostly on natural daylight through numerous skylights (up to 48-feet long) throughout the 6,000 square feet building.  The lights are rarely on at Saper Galleries as natural light is sufficient most always -- and much better for viewing art and selecting mat and framing.  Lights that do come up when the level of illumination otherwise is low, are programmed to dim down when the spaces are not occupied which helps save both the art and electric consumption.  We have been using compact fluorescent bulbs since they came out whenever practical. 

Plants play an important role at Saper Galleries.  Outdoors we are one of the very few downtown businesses which have grass and plantings surrounding the building including a beautiful large Japanese maple by our storage garage.  (See photos of the gallery here.)   Inside we always have plants throughout although they are a challenge to keep thriving due to the UV-filtering we have in our skylights.  Our skylights also filter out heat during the warmer months and provide additional insulating with their double layers. 

Our walls are up to 14 inches thick and the ceilings and roof are also highly insulated so that our high-efficiency zoned furnaces rarely cycle on.  During the day we keep the furnace and ceiling fans running to keep the space comfortable without having to continually heat the air due to the energy efficiency of the space, all a part of its original design.  Our vestibule front and side entrances also keep out drafts by having two doors with a neutral air space between and thermo-pane glazing everywhere.  Most of our roofing is white rather than black to reflect rather than absorb heat.  Our intent was to keep the space energy efficient by design and always comfortable while minimize heating and cooling expenses.

Saper Galleries is a member of "Capital Area Local First" which, with others, supports local ownership, a sense of community, and financial, environmental, and social well being in the Greater Lansing Michigan Area.  In October, 2007 Saper Galleries was recognized and honored by the Michigan Retailers Association for contributions in protecting the environment and helping combat global warming.

In the spring of 2009 Saper Galleries started growing vegetables on the roof of its building.  In the summer of 2009 we designed and built three solar panels which now provide free electricity and power our Internet webcam on the roof of our downtown East Lansing building.  Committed to practicing green, Saper Galleries is always exploring ways in which it can contribute to making our planet greener and cleaner.

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